


Hydrotherapy

by tomcollins



Category: Free!
Genre: Arthritis, M/M, Physical Disability, Underage Drinking, drunk haru, hydrotherapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-10-26
Packaged: 2018-02-22 16:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2514986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomcollins/pseuds/tomcollins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'“You’re probably the youngest I’ve had” he said fondly.<br/>Haru looked up at him.<br/>“Osteo or Rheumatoid?” Makoto asked, tilting his head.<br/>“What do you think?”<br/>Makoto considered.'</p><p>The MakoHaru Arthritis fic no one wanted</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hydrotherapy

**Author's Note:**

> No one asked for this and here it is!  
> see end notes for my dumpon this fic

It hurt sometimes, just being. A burn in a knee, a pain in a hip. Haruka was barely motivated to get up most days. His parents pestered him constantly to try things like physio and sport.  
"If you get active it will help!" His mother had said.  
They didn't understand. When your existence hurts why bother hurting more. It's for this reason that Haru moved away. It took a lot of ignoring his parent’s protests but he finally got away. He'd been at his new home for about a week when he received a text from his mother. He was going to ignore it but decided it would be best not to.  
With a sigh he opened it. "Haruka! In your new town there's hydrotherapy! I know you don't like that stuff but please! It will be good for you"  
Haru stared at the text with a frown. Hydrotherapy? Attached was an information sheet. Haru hadn't swum since his diagnosis, giving up because his body couldn't handle the cold water. He had loved it, he had loved it a lot. He saved the information and deleted his mother's text without replying.  
Haruka Nanase had never thought he would be standing outside an old people home before the age of 70. But yet here he was. He let out a sigh and walked inside to the reception desk. He gave his name to the lady.  
"Ah yes Nanase-san, here for hydrotherapy right?" She asked.  
Haru nodded.  
"Right this way!" She said brightly, stepping out from behind her desk.  
She talked animatedly as they walked up the hall.  
"Your instructor is a pretty young one, you're lucky snagging a private session with him... You're not a people person are you?" She asked.  
"Not really" Haru replied plainly.  
When they entered the indoor pool a young man with brown hair looked up from his chair (that he was sitting backwards on). Even though he was sitting down Haru could tell he was quite tall. He smiled at Haru as he came closer.  
“Hello!” He said cheerfully.  
Haru let out a barely audible reply and looked at the pool. The brown haired boy got out of his chair and offered it to Haru. Haru didn’t take it.  
“I’ll leave you to it then” The receptionist said cheerfully as she left.  
“The names Tachibana Makoto, the tag says Tachibana but you can call me Makoto” The instructor said with a smile, holding out his hand.  
Haru didn’t take it and Makoto laughed.  
“The change rooms are over there” Makoto explained, gesturing to them.  
When he turned around he was shocked to see that Haruka was already throwing off his clothes and climbing into the pool. He laughed and sat back down on his chair, leaning on the back.  
“You’re probably the youngest I’ve had” he said fondly.  
Haru looked up at him.  
“Osteo or Rheumatoid?” Makoto asked, tilting his head.  
“What do you think?”  
Makoto considered.  
“You look pretty athletic but your arms tell me it’s Rheumatoid”  
Haru frowned.  
“My arms?” He asked.  
Makoto laughed and tapped his nose knowingly.  
“Needle marks” He grinned.  
Haru looked away.  
“So what’s your name?”  
“Nanase Haruka…” He replied.  
Makoto smiled.  
“Haru-chan”  
“Don’t call me that…” Haru snapped.  
“Ah, sorry sorry… I just don’t usually get to use ’–chan’”  
“And you don’t now”  
“Is Haru fine?” Makoto asked.  
“…I suppose” He sighed.  
Makoto stood and clapped his hands together.  
“Well, ready to start?” He asked.  
Haru nodded. Makoto took off his shirt and slid into the pool. He half swam to Haru and stood behind him. Usually you would take a tall, muscled man standing behind you as some sort of threat. Haru did feel very tense, especially when Makoto reached around and grabbed Haru’s forearms.  
“Ok, just start by floating on your back” Makoto said gently, guiding him back.  
They continued the exercises like this, Makoto touching and guiding with his hands. Haru tried not to think about how large they were. Makoto touched Haru’s ankles, helping him rotate them in the right way and using them to help bend his knees. He touched Haru’s knees, bending them, asking questions like “does that hurt?” and saying things like “you’re doing well”. Haru tried not to think about it when Makoto touched his hips. He felt uncomfortable. When they were finished Makoto stopped touching him. Haru stood up.  
“We’re done for today” Makoto said.  
He checked his watched.  
“You’ve still got five minutes, free time I guess” He laughed.  
Haru looked out over the empty pool. He had to do it. With that he took off. He swam for the first time in almost a year. It felt fantastic, dragging his slightly aching limbs through the relief of the water. He wasn’t as fast as he used to swim but even still it felt good. He had to change his path to dodge the thing that lowers wheelchairs into the water. He swam around it and to the wall where he turned. After turning he swam diagonally for a bit then straight, back on his original path. When he emerged on the other side he looked up to see Makoto sitting on the wall, watching him with awe.  
“That was fantastic!” He said.  
“Thanks…” Haru said, climbing out of the pool.  
Makoto handed him his towel.  
“So you’re a swimmer?” He asked.  
“I was”

 

“Arthritis? But you’re not old!”  
If Haru had 100 yen for every person who said this, he’d be able to buy something nice. Maybe a new swimsuit.

 

The lessons continued, twice a week. For the first few they ran through the basics, which included almost constant touching from Makoto. Haru couldn’t say he didn’t like it, he wanted to, but he couldn’t. Makoto also asked a lot about swimming.  
“I swim too, backstroke mainly… what do you swim?”  
“I only swim free”  
Makoto laughed.  
“Like freestyle?”  
Haru didn’t answer.  
After a while Haru, surprisingly, became more comfortable with Makoto. He began asking Makoto questions too. He asked why Makoto was working here. Makoto considered.  
“Hmm… well I guess I just like helping people” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
“Why?” Haru asked.  
Makoto could answer that.

 

Walking was something that Haru didn’t like doing much, but it had to be done. This particular walk needed to be done as there was a lack of nearly any food in the house. He entered the convenience store and the clerk greeted him. Haru looked at all the box meals, trying to pick the least unappealing one. It was then that he heard a familiar voice. Without really realizing He followed it around the corner to find Makoto, conversing with a girl with red hair. Not wanting to be noticed Haru turned and looked at the items on the shelf next to him. It took him a few seconds to notice that what he was staring at were pads and tampons.  
“Ah, Haru!” Makoto said, finally seeing him.  
Haru less-than-reluctantly turned to look at the other boy.  
“Hey…” he said stoically.  
The girl said her goodbyes to Makoto and left. Makoto smiled at Haru.  
“Want an Ice-cream?” 

 

The two boys sat outside the convenience store, Makoto licking at his Ice-cream, Haru biting at his, getting brain freeze but wanting it to be over. He felt uncomfortable with the closeness of them; it made him too self-conscious and just conscious of all the space around and between them.  
“Where abouts do you live?” Makoto asked.  
Haru took another bite of his ice-cream and pointed in the general direction of his house.  
“Ah me too!” Makoto laughed.  
There’s silence.  
“Was that your girlfriend?”  
“Of course not” Makoto answered straight away.  
Haru frowned at Makoto’s choice of words. There’s more silence.  
“Do you like mackerel?” Haru asked.  
“Yeah I guess, why?”  
“That’s what I’m cooking for tea tonight”  
Haru looked away. If Makoto were to notice his blush he would blame it his immune system and the cold but he didn’t want to risk it.  
“Mmm, sounds good… Do you mind if join you?” Makoto laughed, playing it cool.  
What a sly dog.  
“Yeah sure if you want” Haru muttered.

 

“What a nice house! Do you live alone?”  
“Yeah” Haru replied as he switched on the light.  
Makoto sat down at Haru’s small living room table as Haru fired up his stove. The sound of frying mackerel soon filled the air. Haru tried to concentrate on cooking the food, but it became quite hard when Makoto stood close behind him looking over his shoulder.  
“Need a hand?” Makoto asked.  
“Rice” Haru said quietly, nodding at the cupboard above his head.  
Once all the food was cooked Haru practically kicked Makoto out of his kitchen as he served the food. He also grabbed two glasses and an old looking bottle.  
“Aren’t we both a little young for that?” Makoto asked, commenting on the sake.  
Haru sat the bottle and glasses down.  
“It was my grandmothers” He said simply.  
“I have work tomorrow, and you have an appointment” Makoto laughed, saying ‘itadakimasu’ and started on his rice.  
“I’ve been told wine is good for arthritis”  
“Sake is a little more than just wine Haru…”  
Haru ignored him and poured himself a glass.

 

Haru could now understand why old men enjoy drinking, drink enough and it’s like painkiller. Before it becomes actual painkiller though, it works as an emotional painkiller. He remembers Makoto telling him he should go to bed… heh what was Makoto doing here? Being pretty probably, boy Makoto was pretty. His eyes, they were green like grass, green grass. And he was muscled, sorta like a ninja turtle. Thoughts like these tumbled around in Haru’s head before he passed out.

 

“You ready to start?” Makoto asked.  
Haru held his head.  
“No…” He muttered.  
They were both in the pool, Makoto behind him, ready to start. His grip loosens and silence falls. To Haru, Makoto feels a lot closer than usual, but also a lot further away.  
“Haru” He says.  
Haru turns to look at Makoto and then their lips press together. Haru feels like panicking but there’s something familiar about Makoto’s lips. Jesus Christ what did he do last night? Before he knew it he felt hot tears fall onto his face. Makoto pulled away and wiped his eyes, looking away…  
“Ah… sorry… sorry I thought you wouldn’t remember and I was right… and you were drunk anyway…” Makoto bumbled, wiping his eyes and forcing laughs.  
“You were right about the sake being a bad idea…” Haru started.  
Makoto looked up at Haru.  
“I’d like to be able to remember…”  
With that Makoto began crying again. It was quiet and Haru was thankful for that, but he still wanted Makoto to stop.  
“Can we start now?” Haru asked.  
Makoto laughed and wiped his eyes one last time.  
“Yeah”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is p important to me, as someone with Rheumatoid arthritis.  
> Idk I just felt that it should be written and who else is there to write it than someone who knows the go  
> anyway, hope it was ok


End file.
